NEW YORK—On Friday, April 4th, hundreds of Columbia Business School community members will join together for the School’s inaugural Day of Impact. The day–long event will provide the opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to give back to the communities in which they live and study. It is the first large–scale, student–led volunteering initiative at the School.

“Making an impact on society—however large or small—is a huge part of who we are at Columbia Business School,” says Sheila Lalani ’14, vice president of community service for the School’s Graduate Business Association. “The idea behind Day of Impact is to demonstrate our community’s commitment to not only bettering the business world once we graduate, but also working to improve the community in which we live.”

Members of the community will partner with several different organizations across the city, including the Citymeals–on–Wheels, Food Bank for New York City, The Humane Society of New York, and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Projects will include:

Beautifying various city parks—Morningside Park, St. Mary’s Park, and Hamilton Grange National Park;

Associate Dean Michael Malone, who will be volunteering as part of the Morningside Park beautification efforts, commends the School’s community for giving back to society: “We are so proud of our students for bringing this opportunity to life. They are constantly looking for new ways to demonstrate the impact Columbia can have outside of the classroom. This initiative really reflects what we believe in most strongly at Columbia: leadership through action, community–wide collaboration, and rolling our sleeves up to make a difference.”

Volunteers will be communicating with each other throughout the day using social media. The student organizers have set up the hashtag #CBSDayOfImpact and asked volunteers to post photos, videos, and updates about the progress of their efforts.

Lalani presented the idea in 2013 to the School’s administration. Since then, it has been embraced by the entire Columbia Business School community to make the event a reality. Lalani’s hope and expectation is that the Day of Impact will become an annual event that grows in scope and impact each year.

To learn more about Columbia Business School’s immediate and lasting impact on the business world and society at large, please visit www.gsb.columbia.edu.

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About Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School is the only world–class, Ivy League business school that delivers a learning experience where academic excellence meets with real–time exposure to the pulse of global business. Led by Dean Glenn Hubbard, the School’s transformative curriculum bridges academic theory with unparalleled exposure to real–world business practice, equipping students with an entrepreneurial mindset that allows them to recognize, capture, and create opportunity in any business environment. The thought leadership of the School’s faculty and staff, combined with the accomplishments of its distinguished alumni and position in the center of global business, means that the School’s efforts have an immediate, measurable impact on the forces shaping business every day. To learn more about Columbia Business School’s position at the very center of business, please visit www.gsb.columbia.edu.